Self-locking package-depository.



G. VALENTINE.

SELF LOOKING PACKAGE DEPOSITORY. APPLIOATIOH FILED DEO.13, 1909. RENEWED FEB. 25, 1911.

1,005,373, Patented Oct. 10,1911.

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OFFEC GORDON VALENTINE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SELF-LOCKING- PACKAGE-DEPOSITORY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GORDON VALENTINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Locking Package-Depositories, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which corresponding letters of reference in the different figures indicate like parts.

It is generally recognized, more especially by merchants and housekeepers, that a considerable loss of time, inconvenience and annoyance is caused in the efforts of merchants to deliver goods to householders and others who are absent at the time of the attempted delivery. Were a suitable selflocking receptacle provided in which the goods could be delivered without loss by theft or otherwise, it would save much delay and inconvenience to all concerned.

The object of my invention is to provide such a receptacle which shall be so constructed that it will remain unlocked while empty so as to permit free access thereto from wit-hout, but will be caused to assume a locked position as soon as any article is deposited therein, the weight of the article serving to so shift the position of the receptacle when closed as to prevent it from being again opened from without until the article or articles deposited therein are removed by one authorized so to do; it being understood that said receptacle is intended to be placed in a wall, partition, door or other inclosure, so that a person within may have access thereto at all times, but to one without it can only be accessible when empty,all of which is hereinafter more particularly described and the novel features thereof pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a device embodying the features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof viewed from the inside of the inclosure in which the receptacle is placed; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same as it would appear when mounted in a wall, said wall, a portion of the frame and the outer shield being shown in vertical section, the receptacle being shown as it would appear when open; Fig. 4 is a like view of the same as Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 13, 1909, Serial No. 532,881.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911. Renewed February 25, 1911. Serial No. 610,932.

. tion.

Referring to the drawings, (4 represents a rectangular frame, preferably of metal, which is adapted to be bolted or otherwise rigidly attached to the outer wall or casing b of a building, room, box or other inclosure, not accessible to the general public, said wall having an opening 0 somewhat larger than that in the frame. A door (Z is hinged at its bottom upon the outside of the frame as shown at e, said door being somewhat greater in area than that of the opening. A handle f enables the same to be opened from the outside. Rigidly attached to the inner face of the door, preferably about midway between the top and bottom, are arms or brackets g g, which are bent or notched at the outer ends for the reception of trunnions h which are rigidly attached to the opposite sides of a receptacle 2', said receptacle being thereby pivotally supported upon the outer ends of said arms. The location of the trunnions with reference to the center of gravity of the receptacle is such as to cause the rear wall of the receptacle to tilt back so that its top will rest normally against the inner face of the door d in the manner indicated in Figs. 1 and 4. The side walls of the receptacle are curved forwardly and downwardly at the top so that when the door (Z is thrown back as shown in Fig. 3, the receptacle will be free to pass through the opening in the frame to enable articles to be placed therein from without. The bottom j of the receptacle is slanted forwardly and downwardly, as shown, so that an article placed therein will slide to the front and serve as a counterweight to tilt the top of the receptacle forward in the manner indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4; a stop k being rigidly attached to the inner face of the frame to engage the upper edge of the rear wall of the receptacle so as to limit its forward and upward movement. Said stop is preferably inclined as shown, and is placed sufliciently above the lower edge of that part of the frame to allow said edge to project below it.

Assuming an article to be placed in the box and the latter to have been tilted as indicated in dotted lines, the upper edge of the rear wall of the receptacle will project above the lower edge of the frame a, which will form a rigid stop therefor, so that any attempt to open the receptacle from the outside by swinging the door d back, will be prevented, and as long any article remains within the box of sufficient weight to tilt it out of its normal position, it will remain locked. The top of the receptacle being open it is obvious that articles placed therein may be removed by a person within the room or other inclosure when the receptacle will resume its normal unlocked position.

It is obvious that if more than one article is to be placed within the rece tacle the box should be held open from without until the entire deposit is made, for, if allowed to close with one article in it, it cannot be again opened until that is removed. For this reason I provide a pivoted dog Z upon the outer frame which is adapted to engage a lug m upon the side of the receptacle to hold the latter open as shown in Fig. 3, until all the articles at hand are placed therein, when, upon disengaging the lug, the receptacle will, of its own gravity, assume a closed and locked position, as described.

In Fig. 5, I have shown a modification of both the supporting and locking features. Jointedly connected with the end of each of the arms g, as shown, at n, is a yoke 0 which is bent at its ends so as to pivotally support the receptacle 2' thereon, said receptacle being provided with two lugs 39 upon each side which rest in the curved portions of said arms. This construction enables the receptacle c to be lifted from its supports and carried away for emptying. I prefer, however to employ the construction shown in the other views.

Instead of depending upon the means above described for locking the receptacle, this may be accomplished by means of coacting hooks or locking elements 9, r, the former of which is attached to the bottom of the receptacle and the other to the floor or other stationary support. When the receptacle is empty, the hook 1" stands below the path of movement of the catch q, but when weighted so as to depress the bottom, any attempt to open the door (Z will cause the hooks to engage and lock the receptacle in place.

My improved device is especially desirable for use in the delivery of groceries and kindred goods and may be utilized in connection with an opening in an outer wall, door or window of a building, room, box, or other compartment. The latter word in the claims is intended to include any of these things,it being obvious that a box with a locked door or lid to permit access thereto by the owner only, may have one of said self-locking receptacles located in a side-wall thereof, in which case the box may be placed out of doors or in an entry-way so that goods may be deposited within it in the manner described. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A deposit-cry of the class described, comprising in combination a hinged closure arranged to swing outwardly from the top of an opening leading to a compartment closed except to authorized persons, said closure forming a support for a receptacle trunnioned away from its center of gravity and bet-ween its bottom and top as well as at a distance from said closure, to cause one end thereof when the receptacle is empty to tilt toward the closure, and stationary means for positively engaging said receptacle to lock the closure against movement when the receptacle is tilted into an abnormal position by the weight of an article deposited therein.

2. The combination of a door hinged at the bottom to cover an opening leading to a compartment, of supports secured to said door to extend into said compartment, a receptacle trunnioned between the bottom and top thereof upon said supports, the axes of the trunnions being in a vertical plane away from that of the center of gravity of the receptacle, to cause the latter when empty to stand in a position to permit the opening of said door and to shift to an abnormal position when an article is placed therein and means located in the path of said receptacle when shifted to lock it against movement.

3. A depository of the class described, comprising in combination a closure hinged at the bottom of an opening leading to a compartment accessible only to authorized persons, and a receptacle trunnioned upon supports extending inwardly from the inner face of said closure, said receptacle tilting when empty into a position to pass through the opening normally covered by said closure and when loaded, into a position to obstruct such passage and block the movement of the closure.

4. A depository of the class described, comprising in combination a door hinged at the bottom outside of an opening in the wall of a compartment, a receptacle trunnioned upon supports extending inwardly from said door, said receptacle being free to pass through said opening when held in 2. normal position with respect to the door, means for preventing said passage when said receptacle is tilted into an abnormal position as a result of a weight placed therein, and means for temporarily preventing the closing of said door while goods are being placed in the receptacle.

5. The combination with a compartment having an opening in one of its vertical walls, of a door hinged at the bottom to close said 0 ening from without, a receptacle pivotal ly mounted upon supports extending inwardly from said door, the axes of the pivots being out of the plane of the center of gravity of the receptacle to permit it to stand in a predetermined position when empty, normally disengaged locking means, and a forwardly and downwardly slanting bottom in said receptacle for causing articles placed therein to slide to the front and tilt the receptacle into engagement with said locking means.

In testimony "whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 11th day of December, 1909.

GORDON VALENTINE.

Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, H. I. CROMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

